Shutdown Ends but Food Insecurity Persists: A Single Bite Sees Demand Surge in Sullivan County

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A Single Bite, the Sullivan County nonprofit focused on feeding families, says food insecurity has surged dramatically in recent months—even as federal SNAP benefits resume following the end of the government shutdown.

Executive Director Audrey Garro said the organization has seen demand double since early fall.

“Since September, we were feeding 625 people, families out there in the community with prepared food,” Garrow said. “Today, 1,200 people. So that’s double.”

Garro said some of the increase is due to heightened public awareness during the SNAP crisis, but the underlying need runs much deeper.

“These individuals are not going to call us tomorrow and say, ‘I have my SNAP benefits back. I don’t want your healthy prepared food anymore,’” she said. “My kids are still getting enough nutrition. That’s just not going to happen.”

She noted that even families with restored benefits remain behind on basic expenses. “They’ve already spent their rent money on food or their medicine money on food because kids and people need to eat every day,” she said.

Cynthia “Sam” Bugna, Manager of Programs, Projects, People, said those realities are clear on the ground.

“I have a family that’s been in temporary housing for quite a while,” he said. “The place has now been condemned… but she has a stove for the first time. She told me she hasn’t cooked a baked potato in years and she was so excited to have a potato and to have real food.”

A Single Bite provides prepared meals three days a week, delivered by volunteers from Long Eddy to Wurtsboro. Garro said the ready-to-eat meals remain vital for families who lack time, transportation, kitchen facilities, or the ability to prepare bulk food from pantries.

“During COVID, we learned that families struggle with time, working two jobs,” she said. “Do they have enough energy to have a propane stove? Is their stove working? There are many, many families living in temporary housing in this community.”

Both Garro and Bugna said the return of SNAP benefits has not eased the long-term fears families face.

“These are families that are living at or below the poverty level, period,” Garro said. “Catching up is not possible with the resources they have.”

Bugna said many residents only sought help when the shutdown pushed them past their limits. “Maybe they were really fighting and said, ‘We got this,’” he said. “But then the shutdown—that was when they hit the wall.”

As the holidays approach, Garro said A Single Bite will continue providing weekly shared meals, along with special Thanksgiving and Christmas dishes. But winter brings new challenges.

“We’ve received a lot of donated produce over the harvest time and that is going to subside,” she said. “We need to start purchasing fresh food… and make sure the highest-quality, most nutritious food ends up on people’s plates.”

Bugna said the public often doesn’t grasp the scale of need:

“The rest of us are going to bed, our bellies are full, our kids’ bellies are full. And there’s people out there that every day their kids’ bellies are not full when they go to bed.”

Garro encouraged residents to volunteer, donate, or simply learn more about the organization. “It’s not easy to ask for help,” she said. “And we respectfully provide that support every week.”

A Single Bite recently received a boost from Homestead School students, who grew pumpkins for their annual project. The pumpkins were turned into soup for families, and the students presented the nonprofit with a $3,000 check.

A full list of food pantries across the region is available at wjffradio.org.

Note: A Single Bite was founded by Sims & Kirsten Foster, owners of Foster Supply Hospitality. Foster Supply Hospitality is a financial supporter of Radio Catskill.

Image Credit: A Single Bite